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Sustainability Council

The Sustainability Council was established in 2008 as part of our campus’s implementation of the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment, and was intended to help lead sustainability efforts on campus and provide strategic direction and oversight of the iCAP. The present policy does not attempt to define the entirety of the Sustainability Council’s role, but merely to formalize its composition and its relationship with iCAP.

EPA SmartWay Affiliate

The University of Illinois became an Affiliate of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) SmartWay® Transportation Partnership in June 2020, after University Housing’s Dining Services joined SmartWay in 2013. The SmartWay program aims to reduce global freight emissions by providing strategies for shippers and carriers to adopt more sustainable practices, and Affiliates help spread the word about sustainable supply chain transportation efforts and grow the SmartWay Program. 

® SmartWay is a registered service mark of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

Topical iCAP Teams

In order to engage both subject matter experts across campus and interested members of the campus community, iSEE formed seven topical iCAP teams. Each Team consists of a core group of faculty, staff, and students who will do the detailed analysis, heavy lifting, and formulation of recommendations. The core group will be surrounded by a larger consultation group of experts and stakeholders from around campus to provide information, advice, and ideas the core group. Visit the iSEE website for the current iCAP T

Improve Reporting and Metrics for Bicycles

There are many metrics that the University needs to evaluate the success of bicycle programming efforts. The University aims to improve and increase the rate of reporting on bike thefts and crashes to better understand changing trends for safety and security of bicycles on campus. Bicycle theft or crash or indecent driving behavior should be reported to the UIPD at the non-emergency number (217) 333-1216

SDRP Lighting

The Student Dining and Residential Programs Building (SDRP), constructed in 2010, was built to LEED silver certification, but continued improvements to the facility could enhance its green capabilities even further. The lighting system at SDRP has been identified as an area in which minor upgrades could be very beneficial to supporting the energy reduction goals of the iCAP.

Orchard Downs Community Gardens

Community gardens built on the farmlands at Orchard Downs are available to use for growing their own food. They are managed by volunteers who assign and take payment for plots for Family & Graduate Housing. Housing pays for the water via funds that are collected, and they manage the plowing, clean-up, and maintenance of the garden area. Gardeners range from University administrators and students to community members. This program has been active since at least the 1990s.

Vermicompost

The dining halls at the University residency halls produce an estimated average 14,962.5 pounds, or 7 tons, of food waste every week. To combat the amount of this food waste that goes to the landfills a pilot on-site  vermi-composting project on the Sustainable Student Farm will be created. The project has the potential to turn into a campus-wide vermi-composting model.

Illinois Biodiesel Initiative (IBI)

The UIUC Biodiesel Initiative (or Illinois Biodiesel Initiative) is a project that evolved from Engineers Without Borders and has collected Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO) from dining halls on campus in order to convert it to biodiesel fuel. This fuel has been used by campus vehicles at the Facilities & Services (F&S) Garage and Car Pool since spring of 2006.  

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